Opportunities for students to continue learning throughout the summer are hot commodities. Public libraries have traditionally been a great place for parents to plug in, often at no cost, predating the bevy of summer camp options offered today.
Michigan Farm Bureau Promotion & Education’s summer reading initiative began in 2023 with the goal of providing ag-accurate, educational books coordinated with the national summer reading program theme each year.
As kids visit libraries over the summer, they become a prime target for agricultural literacy.
Lenawee County Farm Bureau Administrative Manager Terry Shoemaker shared that her county’s P&E team recently purchased summer reading program books and donated them to several local libraries.
“Our libraries were really happy to receive them, and added links to the books on their websites,” Shoemaker said. “Along with donating books, Lenawee County Farm Bureau promoted the program on social media so the community would know the books were available at their libraries.”
Barry County Farm Bureau took a different approach, hosting a reading event at a local library. They brought in animals and organized a volunteer group of local FFA members.
Sharing ag-accurate books with local children gave Barry an outreach win — and having animals at the event made it even better: Students got to see the books come to life!
There are many ways to get youth involved in agriculture, but hosting events can sometimes feel overwhelming. Here are some easy ways to promote the summer reading program:
- Monthly Book & Ag-tivity Events — Work with library staff to plan an hour each month for reading an ag-accurate book and doing a hands-on activity related to agriculture. It’s a great way to help kids learn by doing and get them excited about what they're learning.
- Recruit Volunteers — Team up with your local library to arrange recurring times for Farm Bureau members to read ag-related books. Members can also share their personal stories from the farm to help students connect with agriculture in a meaningful way.
- Start Your Own Reading Event — Like Barry County, you can host your own event. Make it as big or small as you want; read the books linked above and answer questions, bring in animals or host other hands-on activities. The possibilities are endless!
- Don't Stop With Summer — Students and teachers love classroom visitors; it breaks up the routine and gives students something fun to look forward to. Using summer reading program books, consider partnering with schools to schedule visits based on sharing them and a simple activity that helps students understand where their food comes from.
Traditionally, P&E has shared lesson plans and a book list coordinated with the National Library Service’s Summer Reading Program. That program gets a makeover next year to make it easier to use, selling the books online in a “crate” including an educator guide with easy make-n-take activities.
The guide will provide background on the activities, books, questions, a list of materials, instructions and extra resources for additional help. The supplies will be easily found in stores and also available through a curated Amazon list.
Contact Katie Cooper with any questions about the summer reading program.
Lilianne Trinkle is currently interning with Michigan Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer and Promotion & Education department.
